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<p>A local businessman is interested in growing or distributing medical marijuana in Hazle Township now that the state approved legislation earlier this year to allow residents with serious medical conditions to access the drug.</p><p>Neil DeAngelo, head of Hazleton-based Tri-Mountain Ventures LLC, said Monday he has submitted plans to the township to construct a medical marijuana processing facility at a site he would purchase in the Humboldt Industrial Park on Route 924, which is accessible off Interstate 81.</p><p>It&#8217;s the second Hazleton area entity interested in capitalizing on the opportunity created by the state&#8217;s medical marijuana program signed into law in April by Gov. Tom Wolf.</p><p>Van Hoekelen Greenhouses in Kline Township, a Schuylkill County municipality four miles south of Hazleton, also has formed an independent company that will pursue a growing license when the state Department of Health starts accepting applications early next year, a company representative said.</p><p>DeAngelo said he became interested in medicinal uses for marijuana because the drug helped a close friend&#8217;s son suffering from epileptic seizures in Colorado. He also believes medical marijuana will help many with pain, which could help with the prescription opioid crisis.</p><p>He is not sure if he will seek a state license to grow and process the marijuana or dispense it &#8212; or both. Submitting an application with a municipal-approved site may increase the chances of state approval, he said, noting he plans a &#8220;state-of-the-art&#8221; facility.</p><p>&#8220;This is all very preliminary,&#8221; said DeAngelo, describing Tri-Mountain as a real estate and venture capital company.</p><p>The state health department will issue no more than 25 initial permits for growers/processors, and only up to five of those may also receive dispensary permits, the state said. Up to 50 dispensary permits may be issued by the state, and each permit recipient will be limited to three separate locations.</p><p>Applicants to grow/process and dispense medical marijuana must undergo criminal background checks and provide detailed plans on security and other controls.</p><p>Prospective growers and processors must submit a nonrefundable $10,000 fee, a $200,000 fee that will be returned if the application is rejected and proof of $2 million in capital. Dispensary applicants must pay a nonrefundable $5,000 fee, pay a $30,000 permit fee that will be refunded upon denial and proof of $150,000 in capital, the state said.</p><p>The state expects to accept applications in the first quarter of 2017.</p><p>Zoning is not an issue in Hazle Township because municipal officials last month approved an ordinance allowing growers/processors in industrial districts, which includes Humboldt, township Supervisor Chairman Jim Montone said Monday. Dispensaries are allowed in general commercial districts but not residential zones, the ordinance said.</p><p>The ordinance imposes other limitations. For example, growing/processing operations must be surrounded by industrial-standard fencing at least 8 feet high and constructed at least 1,000 feet from day cares, schools and residential properties. Dispensaries must be on lots that are at least one acre</p><p>Montone said he and his colleagues wanted to be proactive in light of the state&#8217;s legalization of medical marijuana. He does not support recreational marijuana but said he&#8217;s &#8220;all for&#8221; medical marijuana</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m pleased someone is interested in coming to Humboldt,&#8221; he said</p><p>Luzerne County Planning/Zoning Executive Director James Ferry said parameters for medical marijuana operations may be added to the county&#8217;s zoning ordinance, which covers 22 of the county&#8217;s 76 municipalities. Hazle Township is among the 54 municipalities that opt to handle their own zoning.</p><p>Any changes involving medical marijuana will be incorporated in a package of proposed amendments that Ferry plans to present to the county council for its consideration in the first quarter of 2017, he said. No entities have applied for zoning approval for medical marijuana operations in the county-covered municipalities, he said.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s a change that&#8217;s coming, and we don&#8217;t want to disadvantage any communities we cover by not having something in place,&#8221; Ferry said.</p><p>Van Hoekelen Greenhouses representative Alexander Van Hoekelen said his family-owned business has been growing ornamental flowers for three decades, and he views medical marijuana as a way to use that experience and knowledge to diversify while helping people in pain.</p><p>&#8220;I met countless people who would benefit from medical marijuana. The need is there,&#8221; Van Hoekelen said.</p><p>A new company, TheraBloom Inc., will seek the state license and, if approved, handle the marijuana operation. The business is working with township officials on zoning approval for the growing site, he said.</p><p>&#8220;We need the right company to do this, and we feel we can do a really good job. We take this seriously,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p>Pennsylvania medical marijuana</p><p>When implementation is completed, which could take 24 months, Pennsylvania residents under a state-licensed physician&#8217;s care for the treatment of one of the 17 serious medical conditions may lawfully and safely obtain medical marijuana in the state, according to the state health department.</p><p>Included in these serious medical conditions, according to the state: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, autism, cancer, Crohn&#8217;s Disease, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, Huntington&#8217;s Disease, inflammatory bowel disease, intractable seizures, multiple sclerosis, neuropathies, Parkinson&#8217;s Disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and sickle cell anemia.</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Local businessmen eye medical marijuana businesses